BRITAIN must be prepared to use the Navy to protect its sovereign waters from terrorism, illegal immigrants and fishing if it leaves the EU, admirals said last night.

Admirals warned that Britain must rebuild a fleet capable of defending its sovereign waters

This will require rebuilding a fleet capable of properly protecting “our territorial waters and economic interests”, they warned.

Vice-Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham, former Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff and currently editor of The Naval Review, said: “It is hard to see how the Royal Navy will achieve this [protecting territorial waters] with so few surface vessels without serious detriment to other tasks.

“The only solution would be to acquire more vessels and quickly.”

Admiral Lord West, former First Sea Lord, also doubted that Britain had enough vessels.

Related articles

He said: “I don’t believe we have enough proper co-ordination of the security of our territorial seas, especially in the east coast and south coast, from things like illegal immigrants and terrorists.

“Fishery protection will become a real issue if we leave the EU.

“I doubt our fishery protection squadron is big enough.

Migrant crisis explained in numbers

Fri, July 22, 2016

A monthly record of 218,394 migrants and refugees reached Europe by sea in October, the UN says, almost as many as the total number of arrivals in 2014. We take a look at the shocking statistics facing the humanitarian crisis.

137 migrants of African origins were rescued by coast guard boats off the coast of Libya

GETTY

European fishermen are bound to flaunt new UK rules when trawling British waters, it was claimed

The only solution would be to acquire more vessels and quickly

Vice-Admiral Sir Jeremy Blackham

“European fisherman who fish in UK waters won’t be at all happy to find they can’t do so any longer.”

The warning comes as former environment secretary Owen Paterson said in the event of Brexit, European fishermen were bound to flaunt new UK rules when trawling British waters.

He is due to address fishermen in Cornwall tomorrow on why leaving Europe will mean the end of unfair quotas.

He said: “Common Fisheries Policy is a biological, environmental, economic and social disaster. We throw back more fish dead than we land and we’ve destroyed much of our fishing industry and devastated fishing communities.

GETTY

GETTY

Admiral Lord West, former First Sea Lord, also doubted that Britain had enough vessels

“I have always said that we need effective and fair enforcement. All our neighbours will have to respect that the British have voted to take control of our marine waters and fishing.

"Spanish and French trawlers will have to adhere to new rules conducive to flourishing fish stocks and improving the marine environment.”

On BBC Countryfile tonight Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson will say: “Look what’s happened to our coastal towns. In many cases you’ve seen too much poverty. Bringing back the fishing industry in those areas would be fantastic.”